Start your story with someone buying a cursed — or perhaps blessed —mirror from an antiques store.

Posted in Fantasy on Nov 17, 2023

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✍️ 45 stories

“Returning Marie” by Kevin B

Now before I say anything else, I just need to establish that I am not mad. I have every reason to be mad, but I’m not. I’m not mad. I’ve never been less mad than I am right now even though I have every reason to be madder than I’ve ever been in my life. To the best of my recollection, you were not working here when I came in on Sunday. I’m sure I would remember somebody ...

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“The Black Box” by Nina H

Gabby double checked the address in her phone as her small Toyota climbed over rocks and roots down Orchard Road. After confirming she was indeed going in the right direction, she squinted at what appeared to be a massive, ivy covered, red brick building in the distance. The morning sun was cutting through just enough autumn fog to allow her to see it must have been built ages ago. The brick was crumbling, the ivy stret...

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“The Mirror of Monte Cristo” by Jonathan Page

It was a Thanksgiving like any other and Charles Scribe heated up a Hungry Man Roasted Carved Turkey dinner and poured himself a glass of Robert Mondavi cabernet in a plastic cup. Charles took his meal at his writing desk, as there was no dinner table in his apartment. Wine was reserved for holidays and though he had placed a bottle-stopper tightly over the wine bottle, it was still flat because it had been sitting in the refrigerator since the Fourth of July.The six-foot by eight-foot, forty-eight square foot writing no...

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“No Refunds, No Exceptions” by Zach Emory

As I wandered along the narrow street, a weathered, wooden sign with the word “Antiques” painted in red caught my attention. I stepped into the dimly lit shop, and the floorboards creaked, announcing my presence. At the entrance, a very strange man stood behind a thick table serving as a workbench. He looked like a cliché. He was wearing a tall top hat with a red ribbon, a dusty black jacket, and he had a stuffed raven sitting on his shoulder. The man was working on some sort of device or appliance, but I couldn’t make out what it was. ...

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“Veil of Destiny” by Frank Amaya

In the heart of a quaint town stood an antiques store, its weathered sign creaking softly in the breeze. The narrow aisles were lined with forgotten treasures, each with a story to tell. Among the dusty shelves and faded tapestries, a mysterious mirror awaited its next owner. Margaret, an adventurous soul with an affinity for the unusual, entered the store on a rainy afternoon. The air was thick with the scent of aged wo...

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“Mirror of Truth” by Hannah Lynn

Antique stores trigger memories of my grandparents’ kitchen. There was that white cabinet in the corner of the room that held my curiosity but never allowed me entry. Had I been older or less of an introvert I would have asked to see inside rather than just looking at it wistfully. I suddenly felt a sadness at the missed opportunity of my grandfather sharing with me stories of his antiques and how he bought and sold them.The bells jingled as I pushed my way in the day before Thanksgiving. Would the sh...

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“Your Secret Is Safe With Me” by Edward Roberts

Karen held the artifact with two hands, turning it over to inspect every inch. The pewter hand mirror had impressions of the Romani Chakra symbol on its backside with interwoven vines and thorns along its sturdy handle. She remembered playing with her great grandmother’s hand mirror for hours, imagining some magic within revealing far away, mystical forests or foretelling her future. When she mentioned to the shopkeeper...

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“László's Mirror” by PJ Town

It wasn’t much more than a junk-shop, though it had a dusty sign that read RÉGISÉGEK, or ‘antiques’, hanging precariously above the door.Dust appeared to be a theme of the shop; the whole place was coated in thick layers of the stuff. It looked like it hadn’t seen a customer in a very long time. It was a minor miracle that Haine had found it at all, in fact, tucked away as it was in a narrow alley off one of the main streets of Budapest.He’d come out of the hotel, on the last day of his busines...

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“The woman who got lost in her own handbag” by Linda Nicklin

It was stifling hot, and the rush hour traffic was gridlocked. A siren wailed in the far distance. I held my breath as I moved through a haze of exhaust fumes that was hanging behind the idling cars. This was a part of town that I knew well, and I was just thinking about a back street detour when something grabbed at my attention. I hardly recognised myself, but there w...

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“Angle of Incidence” by Sjan Evardsson

The glass was scratched, the silvering was cloudy, and the gilded wood frame was so ornate as to be ridiculous and fragile. Acanthus leaves intertwined with vines and flowers in a style that fell somewhere between baroque and rococo. It was the perfect amount of kitsch to brighten up the hallway. While mostly useless as a mirror, it suited her purposes perfectly. She had to have it. Alyx turned the tag ...

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“Mirror, Mirror on the Wall ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

When I was released from the hospital, the discharge informed me that I had been in a coma for eight months, but something inside my brain told me it was for a lot longer. Upon my discharge from UW Medical Center in Seattle walking on the sidewalk to city transit felt as though I was walking on some distant planet. It felt as if I did not belong here any longer. The fact I had been the cause of both...

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“I am a Mirror” by C.L. Stephens

I am a mirror. I have been to many places throughout my life while being passed from hand to hand, job to job. I’ve seen countless bedrooms, even more antique stores, and I’ve even been employed out of doors once. One of my favorite jobs was in the subway. I got to see new people every day when I worked in the subway. I saw people walking past checking their reflection inside me. I obliged because I am ...

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“After a Fashion” by Trudy Jas

It's a normal Saturday. At least it starts off as one. She wakes at her usual time, growls and turns over. She dozes on and off for another hour and gives up. Has coffee, breakfast, does some minor chores and takes a shower. She has the whole day ahead of her. So, what will she do? Retail therapy? Call Missy? Laundry? Nah, none of that appeals to her, today.It really would be a crime to sit on the couch all day. She realizes that this could very well be one of the last nice fall days and she should get out and take a wal...

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“Monster” by Kristi Sturgeon

Monster Once upon a time, there was a girl named Sylvia Snyde. Sylvia was very beautiful. Every morning, she looked into the magic mirror that she had bought at a local antique shop. The mirror was enchanted. It could speak, and daily, it told her how beautiful she was. No one is your equal in beauty, it would say. So Sylvia knew she was beautiful, and that knowledge began to chan...

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“Mirror of Seirots ” by Veronica Meadows

There is something almost magical about a room full of things with so many stories to tell, if they only had a voice. If you're really still, maybe they'll whisper a few words to you. I closed my eyes as I entered the new antique store that had just opened. I thought it would be busier, but I guess not as many people love old junk as much as I do. (I say old junk with the utmost respect, I assure you.) ...

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Start your story with someone buying a cursed — or perhaps blessed —mirror from an antiques store.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 45 stories

“Returning Marie” by Kevin B

“The Black Box” by Nina H

“The Mirror of Monte Cristo” by Jonathan Page

“No Refunds, No Exceptions” by Zach Emory

“Veil of Destiny” by Frank Amaya

“Mirror of Truth” by Hannah Lynn

“Your Secret Is Safe With Me” by Edward Roberts

“László's Mirror” by PJ Town

“The woman who got lost in her own handbag” by Linda Nicklin

“Angle of Incidence” by Sjan Evardsson

“Mirror, Mirror on the Wall ” by George Georgerfrost@gmail.com

“I am a Mirror” by C.L. Stephens

“After a Fashion” by Trudy Jas

“Monster” by Kristi Sturgeon

“Mirror of Seirots ” by Veronica Meadows

🌟 Similar prompts

Write a story about someone trying to paint (or otherwise create) a self-portrait.

Write a story about someone coming across their doppelganger.

Write a story about a character who one day notices that their reflection has taken on a life of its own.

Set your story in a house of mirrors and make the atmosphere increasingly eerie.

Contest #225

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

298

Contest entries

112

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: